Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
